


The Boy and the Dragon Gay

by FurnitureGemstone



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Lore Stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 14:06:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12060525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FurnitureGemstone/pseuds/FurnitureGemstone
Summary: As read by Alphinaud Leveilleur.Adapted from the 1.0 Alchemy Guild quests.For those of you not familiar, the story first showed up in the 1.0 questline, but has made appearances in 2.0+; a copy can be found in the Great Gubal Library and it apparently also makes an appearance in the Dark Knight questline (though I haven't finished that yet to confirm). I've taken my own liberties with the story, so it's not an exact copy of what you'll read in game. I always found it  interesting, so here we are.





	The Boy and the Dragon Gay

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me last night, and I couldn't sleep until I'd written it out.

The Boy and the Dragon Gay

As read by Alphinaud Leveilleur

\---

Alphinaud’s eyes narrowed as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He brought a hand to his temple, rubbing it gently. How had it come to this? He’d helped topple governments, looked primals in the eye, united Eorzea under one cause, bested enemies of the Empire. Yet all paled in comparison to the one before him now.

 

The terror of a three-year-old who did _not_ want to go to bed.

 

Alphinaud sighed and refocused his eyes on the boy before him. Piercing purple eyes stared back up at him, framed by a shock of pure white hair, half covering the shorter, pointed ears underneath. The boy held a book clutched to his chest, scowling up at Alphinaud. His eyes held that same familiar, determined look that Alphinaud had seen a thousand times before; only when faced with a primal, rather than a bedtime.

The Warrior of Light had kissed Alphinaud goodbye, assuring him the boy was fast asleep and would be so until she returned from her venture in the morning. He’d settled down in his chair, ready to tackle a long overdue pile of books stacked beside him. No sooner than he’d cracked the first open, a giggle erupted from the room adjoining.

All attempts to best this boss had resulted in failure. Attempts at bargaining with warm milk and cookies had not made a dent. Carbuncles had been summoned for cuddling to no avail. Alphinaud had thought himself wholly prepared for such tasks after years of handling the petty squabbles of various city-state leaders, but it seemed this was a far greater trial.

“Papa _please._ ” the boy pleaded with him, holding out the book in his hands. “Just one story. Please?” _Gods forfend._ It was a critical hit to Alphinaud’s heart. He huffed, feigning annoyance behind the slight smile on his lips, before leaning over and pulling the boy into his lap.

“Alright, _One_ story. And then it’s back to bed.” Alphinaud turned his attention to the book, running a hand over the cover. _The Boy and the Dragon Gay._ He’d heard talk of this story before, from Ishgardian sources, and it wasn’t the kindest of tales. Raising a brow, he looked down at the boy settling comfortably into his lap.

“Your mother lets you read this book?” The boy nodded emphatically back up at him.

“Oh yes Papa, all the time.” _She, in fact, did not._ Alphinaud was not convinced, but continued on anyway, opening it to the first page. Perhaps a slightly edited version would be alright. Anything to get this child back to sleep.

 _The Boy and the Dragon Gay_.

_Damielliot was a boy of eleven summers, residing in the Twelveswood with his family. He had been born a sickly child with an injured and twisted leg, often confining him to his own bed for days at a time. While he wanted for nothing and was well cared for due to his parent’s affluence, he longed for nothing more than to see the world on an adventure. His twelfth nameday was fast approaching, and in his continuous begging his parents had relented, granting him a tour of the Wood on chocobo-back as his gift._

_The day had finally come, and Damielliot was excited to start on his journey. He clutched to his brightly colored chocobo’s back, hugging it tightly as they wended through the wood, brushing against colorful branches and stepping over babbling streams._

_But, something was amiss. The boy soon noticed the landscape changing from shaded canopies to sparser territory. His chocobo began to climb higher and higher into the hills, leaving the Twelveswood behind. When he attempted to alert the two guides with him, they merely spat and told him to be quiet._

_“Think the boy ‘ill fetch us a good price? ‘Is mother and father seemed well off enough.” the bandit glanced back at Damielliot with a sneer before returning his gaze to his companion. “..Assuming the boy even makes it ter the base. As pale as a ghost, that one.”_

_“Quit yer worryin’. They paid us a fair amount just to_ **_take_ ** _the boy.” the other snorted, laughing. “Imagine what they’ll pay to take ‘im back!” They continued on, reaching the great highlands of Coerthas after some trekking._

“Was he scared, Papa?” Alphinaud looked down at the boy in his lap, now clutching to his shirt.

“I’d imagine he was.” Alphinaud gave a reassuring smile, before continuing.

_Suddenly, a loud roar could be heard, filling the air around Damielliot and the bandits. The roar came again as a large figure blackened the sky. Giant, leathery wings cleaved through the air, attached to a slender, serpentine body. Its wings beat so hard it sent a wave after wave of wind blasting at the three._

_Damielliot was sure the wind could be felt across Eorzea as his chocobo bucked and screeched, tossing him to the ground. He could barely make out the shouts of the bandits in the whirlwind as his own body rolled down the hill and stopped in a spray of bushes. He could hear the screams of the bandits as the dragon’s claws tore through them, rending them in -_ Ahem, Alphinaud skipped past this part.

_The shouting and roaring continued for what seemed an eternity until finally, all was quiet again. Damielliot closed his eyes, exhausted, and slept. It was nightfall before he woke again, entire body sore and scraped from his tumble down the mountain. He could hear beasts in the distance, howling and scuffling about, drawing closer._

“Uncle Emmanellain would save him.” the boy interrupted again, still buried into Alphinaud’s shirt. Alphinaud gave him a soothing pat on the head, reading on.

_Damielliot tried to move, but felt himself unable, a flash of pain searing through his leg. The beasts were soon upon him, and he trembled with fear. They encircled him, snarling and flashing sharp teeth, eyes glowing in the moonlight. Damielliot braced himself, sure this was the end._

_Suddenly, a loud roar broke through the air and a dark figure swooped overhead, ramming into the beasts surrounding. He flew back and forth, screeching and biting, scattering the remaining before coming to stop in front of the boy. Damielliot looked on in shock as he came face to face with the creature; a smaller dragon with ruby scales dancing down his long back, covering him from nose to tail._

_The two stared at each other for a moment, sizing up the other. The dragon’s eyes were intelligent, looking Damielliot over thoughtfully rather than with the malice expected. It was a few more moments before the dragon spoke._

“Does the dragon have a name?” A third interruption from the child in his lap. There wasn’t one listed in the book. Alphinaud pondered for a moment, attempting to come up with a suitable answer.

“Ddraigh.” It was the name of a dragon Alphinaud had heard tale of in his own childhood - a small red dragon that had protected the realm from the terror of a larger, white one. He gave a glance at the boy against him, who seemed satisfied with the answer, before returning back to the story.

_‘Are you injured, boy?” The dragon’s words seemed to fill Damielliot’s head without hearing the words themselves. He nodded slowly, before wincing and pointing to his injured leg. The dragon made its way over, examining the leg a moment. The dragon grunted softly, before turning to his side and pointing to his own leg. It was twisted and bent at odd angles, with a large scar running down its length._

_The dragon smiled at Damielliot. “It seems we are one in the same, child.” Suddenly, the dragon craned his neck, reaching down and sweeping Damielliot up in his jaws. The boy let out a soft cry as he was carried through the air before being placed on the dragon’s back. With a flapping of wings, the two were carried into the air, flying higher and higher._

_Damielliot could feel the wind against his face as they climbed ever higher, the night sky wrapping around them. He shrieked with joy, clinging to the dragon’s scales as the Coerthan ground became a speck below. They flew up and up, floating among the stars themselves. The two laughed and smiled as they flew together, disappearing as one._

Alphinaud closed the book gently, looking down again at the child in his lap. He was greeted by closed eyes, the boy’s fingers still entwined in the fabric of his shirt, breath steady and even as he slept. A soft smile crept across Alphinaud’s lips as he placed the book to the side and stood, cradling the boy in his arms. He made his way quietly back to the room beyond.

It seemed the realm was again safe from the antics of a sleepy child, at least for another day.

**Author's Note:**

> For lore reference, the story of 'The Boy and the Dragon Gay' is from the Alchemy Guildquests in 1.0
> 
> The name of Ddraigh comes from the Welsh Red Dragon.


End file.
